474 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



SHADE FOR HIVES. 



Is an Excess of it Detrimental to the Ripening of 

 the Honey ? a New Phase of the Question. 



BY A. NORTON. 



Friend Root : — Some time last fall you 

 gave a short editorial in favor of shade for 

 hives. The point that you advanced in this 

 instance was that shade makes cooler hives, 

 and, therefore, calls for a smaller force of 

 " fanners to keep up the ventilating air cur- 

 rents." I thought considerably of this at the 

 time of reading it, and have quite often 

 thought of it since. Please do not think I am 

 antagonizing your views. It seems as if all 



rate of evaporation. 3 (and consequently). 

 With the temperature cooler, and the ventila- 

 ting current lessened both at once, as per the 

 supposition of your editorial, there would re- 

 sult a double decrease in the rate of evapora- 

 tion inside. Therefore the honey would ripen 

 thinner, or would need a longer time to ripen. 

 Now, there should be a point above which 

 the temperature of air in the shade, together 

 with its degree of dryness, sufficient evapora- 

 tion in shaded hives, and below which they 

 should be in the sun. And then, given the 

 mean average daytime temperature of a given 

 month at a given place, one could feel pretty 

 sure how he should have his hives. I am not 

 where such experiments could be made. The 



DR. MII,I,ER'S out- yard ; BEES IN THEIR TEMPORARY LOCATION PREPARATORY TO BEING 

 REMOVED TO THEIR SUMMER QUARTERS. — SEE EDITORIALS. 



the other eminent apiarists are with you. But 

 I should like to suggest that some system of 

 experiments be tried, to establish a delimiting 

 point of mean average temperature, warmer 

 than which shade is beneficial, and cooler than 

 which it is undesirable. A definite knowledge 

 of this part of the question would go far to de- 

 fine the influence of " locality." These prin- 

 ciples maybe safely stated in general terms re- 

 garding the force of " fanners " and the venti- 

 lating air currents : — 1 . With a cooler temper- 

 ature in and around the hive, even though the 

 ventilating currents should remain unchanged, 

 there would result a corresponding decrease in 

 the rate of evaporation in the hive. 2. With a 

 lessened ventilating current, even though the 

 temperature should remain unchanged, there 

 would result a corresponding decrease in the 



average summer temperature at Monterey is so 

 cool, and the difference between summer and 

 winter so small, that there is not the variation 

 needed for experiment in this line. But, as 

 many apiarists of experimental tendencies live 

 in climates of great summer heat they could 

 test the matter in spring, summer, and fall, 

 thus having all degrees of variation to facili- 

 tate observations. I am satisfied that for Mon- 

 terey, and even much warmer summer climates, 

 I should always want hives in the open sun- 

 shine. And I think I have demonstrated in 

 my own experience, not only here but in 

 branch canyons of the Salinas Valley, where 

 summer weather is very much warmer, that 

 the same dees that in the sunshine will bear 

 manipulation with perfect calmness will z'ery 

 often in the shade resent handling, with great 



